


Downhill

by Ripley95



Series: FShenko Winter Writing Prompts [3]
Category: Mass Effect Trilogy
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Post-Canon, Post-War, Skiing, Tumblr Prompt, Winter Writing Prompt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-11
Updated: 2020-12-11
Packaged: 2021-03-10 17:02:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,566
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28010595
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ripley95/pseuds/Ripley95
Summary: Kaidan takes Shepard on her first ski trip. It does not go as planned.
Relationships: Kaidan Alenko/Female Shepard
Series: FShenko Winter Writing Prompts [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2044141
Comments: 16
Kudos: 15





	Downhill

**Author's Note:**

> Prompted by [ladyamesindy](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ladyamesindy/) and [RPGwrites](https://archiveofourown.org/users/RPGwrites/pseuds/RPGwrites/) on [Tumblr.](https://ripley95.tumblr.com/post/637218977573142528/winter-prompts-12-ski-trip-pairing-of-your/)
> 
> The prompt was for "Ski Trip."

The winter holidays were finally here. Shepard and Kaidan had both been working hard and had earned some good time off. On the very first day of their vacation, they made their way up to the BC interior so Kaidan could take Shepard skiing for the first time. He took her to the same mountain he had learned to ski on as a child. He booked them a luxury suite in a resort for the week. They even made an itinerary of plans all laid out in order to fully take advantage of the time they had here.

They savoured their first evening by relaxing in their lavish hotel room all night. They used their private hot tub and nice fluffy robes. They ordered expensive room service for dinner and shared a bottle of wine by the fireplace. It was exactly the kind of evening they needed in order to feel recharged for all of the activities they had planned over the coming week.

The first morning was already much busier. They enjoyed a hearty breakfast before hitting the slopes. Kaidan had given her a few pointers, and Shepard had gotten the hang of it quickly. She had only needed a few runs on the bunny hill before moving on to the beginner tracks.

They skied well into the early afternoon, hardly taking a break. After finishing a long run and beating Kaidan down to the bottom, Shepard popped her skis off and fell back into a big pile of fluffy snow, taking a minute to catch her breath. Kaidan followed suit as soon as he caught up and sat down beside her.

"Have I said how perfect this is yet?" Shepard asked.

"Only about three times now," Kaidan said with amusement, smiling beside her. He'd taken off his goggles, leaving an imprint of their shape on his face.

Shepard flung some of the powdery snow in his direction playfully. "You look ridiculous."

"I'm sure you don't look much better," he said jokingly, prompting Shepard to take her goggles off and rest them on top of her helmet. Sure enough, she had a matching imprint. "Nope. I was wrong. Still beautiful," he said with a genuine smile on his face.

Shepard couldn't help but want to kiss him right then and there. Their helmets clunked together, having forgotten they were in the way, making them both laugh. Shepard relaxed back into the snow for a minute, thinking Kaidan would follow suit, but he didn't. She sat up again and looked at him. His eyes were closed. When he opened them, he was looking forward awkwardly.

"What's wrong?" she asked worriedly.

He shook his head before looking down dejectedly.

"Are you getting a migraine?" she asked. She'd seen the signs plenty of times before now to know.

"I think so. I'm getting an aura," he said, sighing exasperatedly.

Shepard stood up immediately, not wanting to waste any time. She knew the aura would only get worse before it got better, making it hard for him to see, not to mention that the pain and other symptoms would start to hit soon after. She offered her hand to help him up, and he accepted.

"All right, let's hurry back to the hotel room, then," she said, picking up both of their skis as Kaidan rubbed his forehead with his gloved fingers.

"I'm sorry," he muttered, looking towards the ground.

She stopped in her tracks and stood in front of him. She placed her hand on his arm to get his attention. "Hey, don't you dare start with that. There's nothing to be sorry about. Besides, we've already had so much fun today."

Kaidan nodded silently, but he was as sullen-looking as ever. Shepard knew he probably still felt guilty, but now wasn't the time to be standing around idly. She had to get him back to their room so she could get him comfortable and take care of him.

"Let's go. Just hold on to me if it gets too hard to see, okay?" she said.

He nodded in acknowledgement, and they started moving.

They made their way back to the hotel room quickly enough. Kaidan hadn't started to complain about the pain hitting him yet, but she had noticed him starting to squint more and more the closer they got. She was sure the light was already beginning to bother him. As soon as they made their way into her room, she set their skis down gently by the front door.

"You should get changed into something comfortable and get tucked into bed. I'll go find your meds."

"You really don't have to do that," Kaidan said, his fingers pressing tightly against his forehead, his eyes screwed together tightly.

She stopped what she was doing and went over to him. She lifted his chin with her finger. He opened his eyes a sliver, still shielding himself from the light creeping into their room. "I know I don't have to, Kaidan. I want to," she said softly. "How often are you the one taking care of me? This is practically the only time I get to return the favour."

He forced a smile at her and nodded once again, finally leaving for the bedroom portion of their luxury suite. Shepard watched him go. She knew what she told him probably helped, but it still didn't seem like enough. She quickly went around closing the blinds and got changed into something more comfortable, herself. She found Kaidan's meds and went to get a washcloth. She dampened it with cold water, and while she was there, she filled up a glass for him to be able to take his pills before finally making her way to the bedroom. Kaidan was sitting on the edge of the bed, already in his pyjamas. His hands were clutching the side of the mattress, his head hanging low.

"Here are your pills," she said, prompting him to look up at her. She handed him the glass of water and the meds, and he took them immediately. As soon as she confirmed he was done, she went to sit on the opposite side of the bed. "Here, come rest your head on my lap. I'll rub your temples."

Kaidan gave her a look saying he didn't want to inconvenience her, and she stared back pointedly. He conceded and followed her direction. She placed the washcloth over his forehead and eyes.

"You really do-" Kaidan said, getting cut off.

"Don't say it," Shepard retorted. He was so predictable she could have laughed. He even smiled at her words. "I want to do this for you, Kaidan."

He let out a sigh. "I know," he said reluctantly. "I just feel like I've ruined everything."

"You didn't," Shepard said softly as she started to massage his temples.

"I don't think I'm used to pushing myself like this anymore. I've gotten too sedentary now that the war is over." They both laughed lightly at that, knowing entirely well it wasn't true. Maybe he was more sedentary than when they were at war, but she knew well enough that he was still plenty active in his teaching position, sometimes using his biotics all day. "I probably should have eaten lunch. I was having so much fun that I didn't even notice the time," he continued.

"Neither did I. We should set an alarm next time," Shepard said.

"Yeah," Kaidan agreed solemnly. "I just feel like I should have been more careful. I could have prevented it."

"Maybe," Shepard agreed. "But also, maybe not. How many times have you gotten a migraine, not even knowing why? There isn't always a reason. You've gone plenty of days missing lunch before. You're more active than you think back home."

"You're right," he said with a sigh.

"I honestly don't care what the reason was, Kaidan. You're hurt. You're what I care about. We have all the time in the world for skiing, okay. That's something we fought for, right? To get to enjoy life and experience these things. We're sure as hell going to take advantage of it. It doesn't have to be today. It doesn't even have to be tomorrow if you're not feeling up to it. Remember last night? How much fun we had. I don't care if we end up doing that for the rest of our vacation. Even now, of course, I'd rather you weren't in pain, but I get to steal your warmth after being out in the cold. If you fall asleep while I'm rubbing your temples, then I get to read this book I stole from your suitcase while I was looking for your pills." Kaidan snorted at that. "You didn't ruin anything. I'm just happy to be here. With you," she said.

Kaidan did a gentle nod, seeming to agree with the sentiment. "Me too," he admitted. He took one of Shepard's hands that was rubbing his temples and kissed it gently. "I love you," he said.

Shepard gently caressed his face with that same hand. "I love you too, Kaidan," she said. A gentle smile formed on his lips. With the amount of pain he was in, that said a lot. She was glad he finally let go of the guilt. She resumed massaging his temples. "Now, just try to get some rest. We have a whole life to look forward to everything else."


End file.
